Heritage Data Form
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Attachment A Heritage Report for the Old St James Anglican Church 2 Kent Street, Minto Report undertaken by Heritage 21 Heritage Data Form ITEM DETAILS Name of Item St James Anglican Church Other Name/s - Former Name/s Item type Built (if known) Item group Religion (if known) Item category Church (if known) Area, Group, or - Collection Name Street number 2 Street name Kent Street Suburb/town Minto Postcode 2566 Local Government Campbelltown Area/s Property Lot 12 / DP 712599 description Location - Lat/long Latitude -34.028673 Longitude 150.846923 Location - AMG (if Zone Easting Northing no street address) Owner Anglican Church of Australia Current use Vacant Former Use Church Statement of St James Anglican Church embodies historical, associative, aesthetic, social, and representative significance values, and is also significant for its rarity in the local context. St James Anglican Church exhibits historical significance at the local level as remnant evidence of the historical development of the local area and the increasing population of the late-nineteenth century. Its relocation represents the growth of Minto as a distinct township and has served the needs of the Anglican community of Minto for nearly a century. The building is associated with two prominent architects of the Federation period – Henry Austin Wilshire (who designed the original building) and John Burcham Clamp (who oversaw the relocation project). Together, Wilshire and Burcham Clamp are associated with over 40 buildings and / or works which are statutorily protected as heritage items in New South Wales. The subject building forms part of their legacies. Although the building is not notable for displaying any particular creative achievement, the building does demonstrate landmark qualities in the area as one of the last remnant buildings from the original Minto Village. It is intact and its original form, scale, and dimensions are readily legible from all perspectives. Its setting – including early palm tree plantings and intact front fence from c. 1930s – remains intact, and serves to enhance the landmark qualities of the building. Additionally, the building displays significant technical achievement, having been dismantled and reconstructed entirely by hand within 10 weeks, with minimal change to original fabric (save the deletion of the front veranda). St James Anglican Church represents the continuing presence of the Anglican community in the locale for over a century. Its built fabric displays evidence of community involvement – several renovation works have been undertaken by members of the local community, including extensive working bees in the 1970s. The place also demonstrates ties to the Anglican community of New South Wales, with Wilshire (the original architect) designing the building pro bono, and donations towards the original 1 Heritage Data Form building made by the trustees of St James Church, Sydney and St Phillips Church, Glebe. In general, the site represents a continuing link between the Anglican Church of NSW and the Anglican community of Minto, and is socially significant. The subject building is one of the last remnant buildings that date to the early beginnings of Minto Village, and its original form, scale, and setting is readily legible. It is a locally rare item. At the same time, the building is a highly intact example of a simple, late-nineteenth century church building, and its continued legibility means that it is a fine representation of this type of building. Level of Significance State Local DESCRIPTION Designer Henry Austin Wilshire Builder/ maker T. P. Latter Physical Exterior: Description The subject site is a large allotment located at the intersection of Redfern Road and Kent Street. The property frontage displays a wire and timber fence which, although not original, likely dates to the Inter-War period. Between the fence and the Church building are a series of palm trees, which were planted in the late 1910s. The relatively large, grassed allotment gives ample curtilage for the Church building to stand out as the prominent built form at the site. The Church building itself is of simple form – a single-storey building with a prominent gabled roof with a slight parapet at the front and back. The structure is of polychromatic brick masonry construction, with a roof of cement tile sheeting. At the front of the building is a smaller, enclosed gable element with a pointed arch window fronting the street, which serves as the entry point to the Church. Near the apex of the primary gable, at both sides, is a decorative oeil de boeuf opening. At the side elevations to the east and west, the structure is punctured by an identical fenestration pattern of three, pointed arch windows set into bays created by non-load bearing piers, with doors at the northern ends. At the rear, the Church is supported by two buttresses of brick masonry in a polychromatic tonality similar to that of the primary structure. These were added after the building was reconstructed at the present site in 1918. Interior: Originally, the site would have been divided into two spaces: the front gable entrance, and the nave. Currently, the interior is divided into four spaces: the entrance, a makeshift narthex, the nave, and an upper level (above the narthex, facing into the nave). The narthex and upper level are recent additions of timber construction. The ceiling is of timber planks, with evenly-spaced hardwood trusses. Flooring is timber, and likely early to the construction of the Church. Stained glass windows at the rear wall are visible from within the building. Physical condition A preliminary visual inspection was undertaken in January 2018, which found that the item is in fair condition. Archaeological Low – none. potential Construction years Start year 1897 Finish year 1898 (dismantled and reconstructed Circa 1918) Modifications and The original building – located on a different site between the townships of Minto and Ingleburn – was dates dismantled and reconstructed in its present location in Minto in 1918. The reconstructed Church was exactly the same as the original, although the original veranda which extended across the primary elevation of the building had been deleted in the building’s second iteration. Other modifications and alterations to the building and the site include: 2 Heritage Data Form Late 1910s: Planting of palm trees at the property frontage, Redfern Road 1920: Construction of tennis court Late 1920s: Replacement of four Miller kerosene lights – used to illuminate the interior – with three Aladdin lamps (donated by parishioners) August 1938: Installation of electric lights in interior 1948: Connection to new city water supply 1962: Expansion of Church to obtain adjacent Guild Hall (currently in use at the Children’s Centre) 1966: Construction of Sunday School Hall (later demolished to make way for new Church building) 1975: Erection of rectory building; Retiling of roof of Church building (the cost of which was borne through an interest-free loan from Mary Monkley, a late parishioner) 1977: Internal floor varnished; vestry and broom room removed from interior to allow space for organ, communion table, and dais Late 1970s: Renovation of stained glass window at northern end of building in memory of Mr Apps, a late parishioner; Community working bees – repainting all windows and doors of building; clearing moss from southern end of building; replacement of most fencing around Church and rectory buildings 1 December 1984: Laying of foundation stone for new Church building, to the south of the original Church – the new Church building, which is currently in use, was opened on 25 May 1985 Further comments None. HISTORY Historical notes Beginnings: As a result of significant population growth in the region, St James Church of England was first erected on the corner of Minto and Cumberland Roads in 1897 to serve the suburbs of Glenfield, Ingleburn, and Minto. The architect of the building was Henry Austin Wilshire, the youngest son of James Robert Wilshire MLC, second elected Lord Mayor of Sydney. Henry Wilshire was a prominent social figure and architect in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and at present 12 of his buildings have been afforded statutory protection as heritage items in NSW. Wilshire provided his services pro bono to the Anglican Church for the design of St James Church. Prior to construction of the Church, a sum of approximately £200 was donated by the trustees of St James Church in central Sydney, with a smaller amount given by St Phillips Church in Glebe. Construction and Opening: The foundation stone for the Church was laid on 13 September 1897 by the Bishop of Bathurst, the Right Reverend Dr C.E. Camidge. The ceremony was seen as a “means of bringing a large gathering of the residents together,” and was a well-attended affair which was followed by a fundraising concert. Copies of Sydney and local newspapers from the day of the ceremony were placed in a bottle, which in turn was placed into a portion of the foundation stone. Also in the bottle was a written document recording the names of the principal figures in the ceremony. St James Church was officially opened on Saturday 5 February 1898. The Cumberland Herald wrote at length on the Church’s opening, describing a service which had “a very large attendance, which included visitors from all parts of the [Minto-Ingleburn-Glenfield] district.” The article goes on to describe the building: The foundations are built in solid cement, the walls being 9in. with a 3in. cavity. The gables are 14in. with 3in. cavity, dark grey, with red bricks as a string course ; also, door and window openings which are Gothic. The frames are Oregon with Kauri linings and architraves. The roof is open with framed principals, lined on the top with colonial mahogany and covered with Terra Cotta rooffing [sic] tiles.